#varian analysis

[nerdasaurus1200]

I just realized some sad things about Eugene and Varian’s talk in PEEV so Imma talk about that scene.

So first Eugene starts pretty small with it. I think you could interpret this as either Eugene trying to imply Quirin being a mole as gently as he can, or bringing up a sort of…I guess fact to start the tense conversation. And of course it kinda flies over Varian’s head. He takes it at face value, making sure to reassure Eugene. Which to me implies Eugene has probably been worrying about the Brotherhood for a while now.

So Eugene tries again, much more obvious this time. Although he never outright says anything he directly points the finger at Quirin. The implication is there. And lately I’ve been wondering if there’s something a little deeper to this conversation. i feel like could easily be echos of season 1 cause the whole reason Varian’s villain arc started was cause his dad was in danger. And now his dad is in danger, again. Except Eugene may be trying to not repeat history by actually checking on Varian this time and trying to nip this potential threat in the bud.

And if you listen to the dialogue Varian never actually says it either. But you can see in his eyes. Now that Eugene’s planted the idea in his head, the fear is very much there. And his trauma from season 1 is probably coming back a bit too.

So of course he mildly deflects and snaps at Eugene. I think this is…I’d say 60% trauma reaction, with the other 40% being Varian just being generally angry at the idea that Quirin would ever betray or hurt him. And maybe slightly at the idea that Cassandra would do that to him. Cause Adira and Hector are one thing, Edmund and Quirin is a new low.

Also I think this is actually the first time we’ve actually seen Varian seriously angry since season 1 ended. Yeah we’ve seen him pissed before this season but that was for jokes. There is nothing funny about Varian’s anger here. Cause when Varian gets angry shit goes down.

So of course Eugene backs off and drops the topic. He probably thinks (or rather hopes) Varian has some failsafe already taken care of for that situation but I think it’s more likely that Eugene doesn’t wanna press Varian any further and trigger him.

But, sadly…Varian knows Eugene is right. He knows he has to do something to make sure nobody gets seriously hurt or worse when Quirin inevitably turns on them.

[tangledbea]

what’s you hottest take of the tangled universe?

I've been sitting on this ask for days, but I'm honestly not sure how to answer it. What defines the hotness of a take? If I've said it before does it count? I know there's a difference between "hot takes" and "strong opinions that don't align with the majority," so I have to be careful not to use something inflammatory just because it's my opinion.

I guess the hottest take I can come up with after a few days (and some personal shit that stole all my attention for at least 24 hours) is that Nigel didn't do anything wrong in "Queen For a Day". His duty is not just to advise, but also to protect the monarchy. That was why he was able to close the doors while Rapunzel was seeing to the people: he could see she was becoming overwhelmed and distraught, and so he ended the session early for her sake.

What he saw when Varian was begging for help was a citizen getting in her face, raising their voice, putting hands on her, shaking her.

And he acted accordingly, to keep her safe. Were his methods harsh? A bit. And he failed to read the situation by having Varian thrown out into the storm rather than just separated from Rapunzel and kept safe from the weather. But he was definitely doing the job he was given, and protecting Rapunzel from a hysterical citizen.

[cookiehusky799]

Same position, different mood.

To go with the differences between Varian on the good/bad side.

[egqwhites]

HELP?? how am i JUST now noticing the parallels im so embarrassed for not thinking about this sooner

(+ varian even has an animal sidekick that sits on his shoulder, like demanitus and his monkey. not to mention all the other parallels between those two...)

[elijahs-dumps]

Cassandra and her villain arc; was it bad? Let's discuss... (Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure)

Just wanted to say before we dive in, I'm currently working on a piece about Gonzo from the Muppets and some Hazbin Hotel stuff too. So stay tuned;)

Cassandra was mainly portrayed as snarky, cold, and even a little rude. She's almost a perfect opposite to Rapunzel, which makes them interesting friends. And it's nice that Rapunzel has another girl she can rely on, since I personally believe female friendships are important in media. Within the TV series, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Cassandra is often seen budding heads with Eugene or helping with Rapunzel's misadventures. And as the show goes on, we see Cassandra actively looking out for Rapunzel more and more.

Even though Cass states many times in the first two seasons that she loves and cares for Raps, their relationship is quite unstable through out the show even before she became a main antagonist. Let's take a look at their relationship pre-season two to get a better understanding:

For example, in The Challenge of the Brave (S1 E4) when Raps joins the challenge, Cass feels like Raps is being a bad friend by trying to win something that means so much to her. She's annoyed by Raps' ignorance, and jealous of the admiration Raps is receiving. Yet, Cass never even told Raps how much the contest means to her. So instead of communicating her feelings, Cass starts to act more snappy with Raps and actively tries to get Raps eliminated from the game. However, it's not unreasonable for Raps to be unaware of Cass' wishes, especially since she struggles with social cue. Regardless of the fact that Cass should've been more patient with Raps, I think this episode would've been nice foreshadowing to her change of heart in season three if they didn't try to paint Cass as the victim in this episode. I don't understand why only Raps apologized, when they both should've acknowledged their wrongs.

In Under Raps (S1 E9), Rapunzel tries to make Cass feel better about being single by making her things and showing her appreciation for Cass. When this happens, Cass sort of gets annoyed for no reason even though Rapunzel's intentions are sweet. She doesn't even really verbalize if Raps is pushing boundaries or not, she's just... frustrated?

This doesn't relate to Rapunzel directly, but in Great Expotations (S1 E8) Cass uses Varian to get what she wants. Even though she does make up for it, it's still a testament to her character. Cass often acts without thinking about how others might feel or think, and the way she treats Raps in season one is a prime example of that. She does take into account how naive and ignorant Raps can be, but she refuses to show any patience for it as Raps recovers from literally being isolated for eighteen years. And Cass is supposed to be Raps' best friend! It's the same with Varian. You see, Cass isn't really a bad person. She just wants her moment in the spotlight, her moment to prove herself. In these episodes, that's often what drives her to make these mistakes towards her friends. This would be a great character flaw, and an interesting writing concept. But this show keeps having Cass in this same situation again and again, and she never grows from it. It gets old very fast.

Not to mention, Cass also tried to force Raps not to tell Eugene how she got her hair back when it first happened. All because Cass "doesn't trust Eugene". I thought this was strange, because I don't really know what kind of friend asks someone to lie to their significant other.

In the flashback episode, Beginnings (S3 E6), we learn that Cass never wanted to be friends with Raps to begin with, and there was a lot of guilty undertones on Cass' part of the relationship at least in its early stages from what we can see. Raps clearly latched onto Cass way too fast, because she was still fresh out of the tower when they met. And Cass wasn't ready to be what Raps needed (which was therapy). Cass was Raps' first friend besides Pascal, and I don't understand why Cass would take on that role if she wasn't going to put in the effort to at least try and be compassionate and understanding with Raps.

Moving on to season two, Cass didn't really do anything of substance until The Great Tree episode (S2 E14) which is a little weird in hindsight. But I thought her insecurities about needing to prove herself and how she always feel second place to Raps were pretty justified. We saw a couple times through out the series that people preferred Raps over Cass, or gave Raps opportunities when Cass worked harder for them. Still, I don't feel like that's Raps' fault. Waiting in the Wings did a perfect job of illustrating Cass' feelings on this subject, and it even made me like her more as a character because it gave her so much more depth. Still, the song talks about how Cass is going to keep waiting until her moment in the sun arrives no matter what, which contradicts her villain arc quite a bit considering the fact she did not wait at all. Anyway, I think Cass trying to insinuate that Raps doesnt trust her judgement anymore in these episodes was BULLSHIT. Raps clearly loves and values Cass, and trusts her completely. All Raps did was mkae a call that Cass didn't agree with, I dont think this meant that Raps wasn't listening or wasn't trusting Cass. The two of them simply disagreed on it, which they do all the time.

Technically, the thing that pushes Cass off the edge is the fact that she finds out she's Mother Gothel's biological daughter. But there was one other incident that set this villain arc into motion before the episodes within the House of Yesterday's Tomorrows. Cassandra's hand wound from Rapunzel.

When Cass injuries her hand during the final fight within the Great Tree, she blames Raps for it even after they talk it out and apologize. I didn't understand this at all, because yes Cass warned Raps not to use the decay incantation. But it's not like they had any other choice! And Raps was not in control of herself or the tree when Cass got injured. Not only this, but Raps also told Cass to leave before anything even happened. Why is Cass upset with Raps for not listening to her when she wouldn't listen to Raps either?

The season three opening episode, Rapunzel's Return (S3 E1), shows us exactly what Cass saw in the House of Yesterday's Tomorrows. We learn that Cass is Gothel's real daughter, and this is a huge turning point in the series. Because in this episode, Cassandra's entire villain arc stopped being about her own struggles and insecurities and how she's felt second place to Rapunzel this whole time, it became about the fact that Gothel chose Raps over Cass. I felt like this was a lazy writing choice, to make it seem like Cass' feelings of being inferior to Raps are more justified. But honestly, I think her villain arc could've stood well on it own if they just planted to the smaller seeds of doubt earlier on, and didn't involve Gothel in it. Of all people. Gothel is a naturally selfish woman who would never do anything that doesn't serve some kind of purpose for her. I find it hard to belief she kept Cass around simply to do house work around her cottage instead of just dumping Cass at an orphanage of some kind.

I also feel the need to mention the fact that Cass was absent for almost 12 episodes in a row, during what is supposed her season as the antagonist and her moment to have the spotlight, probably has something to do with why her writing in season three came out so half-baked. Combining this with the fact that her change of heart was only really hinted at in maybe five out of the forty-five episodes, episodes in which the conflict involving Cass' character is always resolved by the end, makes her entire villain arc seem out of character at first glance.

This season went to great lengths to make Cass' actions and attitude as nasty as possible, especially by having her show no remorse or doubts after Be Very Afraid (S3 E9). This is on of the reasons her redemption arc fell flat.

In A Tale of Two Sisters (S3 E14), we see the last bit of Cass' doubt be outweighed by her need to blame someone for the way Gothel abandoned her. So, she blames Rapunzel. But Cass knows Gothel was sick and abusive towards Raps, and she also knows it's not Raps' fault she was kidnapped. After all their years of friendship, I didn't buy the concept that Cass would let her anger manifest in a way that would blame Raps for a traumatic event that happened to both of them.

While I'm well aware that Zhan Tiri has been manipulating Cass since the House of Yesterday's Tomorrows, it still didn't make Cass's villain arc anymore believable for me. It felt like the show's way of trying to excuse its own crappy writing.

Once a Handmaiden (S3 E16) is when Cass realizes Zhan Tiri has been manipulating her since the beginning, and begins to regret her choices. So Cass disguises herself as Rapunzel's current handmaiden to try and find a way to extend some kind of olive branch. This gives us a little more insight into the headspace Cass has been in these past few months, and it gives the audience more room to sympathize with her (especially in the play scene). Yet, when Zhan Tiri reveals Cass to everyone and the guards start attack her, Cass is quick to become incredibly angry, even though Raps was trying to call off the guards. Cass literally takes over the entire kingdom, almost killing hundreds of people after spending the whole day bonding with Raps like old times. While I have issues with the amber-firing machine Varian made, I feel like the switch up with Cass in this episode was absolutely insane.

Cassandra's redemption arc, if you can even call it that, completely fell apart because it was so rushed. It was similar to Varian's redemption arc in that sense, but even though Varian's redemption arc had flaws he was able to sort of get away with it. Varian's villain arc was shorter than Cass', his crimes weren't as bad as Cass'. and he served at least a year in jail anyway. Cass served no punishment for her actions and got to leave Corona scot-free. This also plays into the constant contradiction Cassandra goes through this season of soul-crushing remorse vs homicidal rage.

Considering Cass was one of our main three characters for the entire show, I just think she deserved better when it finally came time to give her some more depth and complexity. But what do you guys think? Do you think Cassandra's time as an antagonist was poorly executed? How do you think they could've fixed it? Feel free to let me know!

[queer-cosette]

Actually I've come to a realisation (most of you will probably have hit this one already, I might just be slow at saying it) as to why Varian was sent to jail for committing treason while Cassandra was allowed to go free without any sort of real consequence despite arguably committing much worse treason and making several more attempts at murdering Rapunzel than Varian ever did.

Varian was sent to prison because... it wasn't Rapunzel's call. It was King Frederic's call. And it's established right off the bat that Frederic is known for coming down very hard against criminals especially when they strike at his family because he's traumatised and paranoid as a result of his infant daughter being literally kidnapped and held captive for eighteen years. I'm not saying it's a fair system... but it's pretty understandable.

Rapunzel on the other hand... holds a lot more empathy to those on the wrong side of the law. Eugene, the love of her life, was the most wanted criminal in the kingdom when they met. The Snuggly Duckling thugs are extremely loyal to her partly because it's her influence with the king that has kept them out of jail for past misdemeanours. Rapunzel couldn't even bring herself to fully hate Mother Gothel, who abducted her, kept her prisoner, and abused her psychologically, because Mother Gothel was the only 'family' she knew for virtually the first eighteen years of her life.

Actually, it's thanks to Mother Gothel that Rapunzel never blames Cassandra for betraying her, even when Cassandra leaves her to die in the mines beneath Gothel's old cottage. Rapunzel recognises that Cassandra isn't just trying to kill her for kicks - she's another victim of Gothel's abuse, and that abuse has led her to blame Rapunzel for 'stealing' Gothel's love because she can't accept the truth that her mother simply never loved her at all. And by the time Cassandra is no longer power-crazed and covered in impenetrable stone armour, Rapunzel is the one making the calls. She's still the acting queen at the end of the series because her parents still haven't fully recovered their memories.

Frederic's approach to preventing crime was to make sure that if you'd committed one crime, you would never have the chance to commit another - because you'd be in a jail cell. Rapunzel's approach to preventing crime was to find the reason you'd been driven to crime and work on fixing that, so you wouldn't need to commit another.

And that's why Cassandra didn't face the same consequences for treason that Varian did.

[amyriadfthings]

Rewatching the scene where Varian receives Thomas´ letter and the moment it hits him who it´s from he´s literally taken aback: you can see him shift his weight and he even has to let go of the letter with one hand to reach out to the reception desk for support. (It´s a subtle move bc the desk is out of frame, but I love that you can tell.) Of course then the camera also cuts to Paul´s face, making it even clearer to us how obvious the impact of the letter is to an observer.

I don´t think the letter itself is very long, but when Paul turns away to get the map Varian asks for oh so businesslike and casual, it looks like Varian is reading it again. (Beautiful eye, brow and jaw work there, Mr. Smith🏆 )

It´s so clear that Varian just got hit by something heavy even though he remains so carefully stoic. It´s also clear that he´s not succeeding in hiding all of his emotions as hard as he tries. By the end of this short scene we´re made aware something big is coming Varian´s (and our) way.

[rueitae]

Finally got around to binging Tangled the Series. *sigh* is there a discord server for gen content? Or at least mostly gen? Brainstorming fun a plus.

[lightdrizzel]

What would you say are the biggest flaws of the main tangled gang?

I almost feel like i've answered this in the past, laughs. But let's see...

Rapunzel: She's a people-pleaser, and socially naive, at least at first. Which is a terrible combination for almost anyone who isn't named 'Gothel'. All she knows is that she wants things to be OK, and will do almost anything to help others make it so. This leads to more than a few mix ups where she fails to catch onto social cues. Ironically, it's part of her best qualities that she will ALWAYS stand by anyone she cares about.

Eugene: It's pretty obvious that Eugene's ego is one of his defining traits. Even in season 3, when he's really learning what defines him now vs the Flynn Rider days, he can't bring himself to let go of the old persona, the great thief that he was. At least until a wakeup call from Rapunzel - and Brock - that makes Eugene realize that since others have faith in him as he is, he should too.

Cassandra: Obviously I've talked about this at length, but Cass's flaw is definitely her lack of self-worth. She fights for recognition like she needs it to live. Ironically Cass struggles with basically the opposite thing Rapunzel does. Where Rapunzel expects people to show love to her as much as she does them, Cassandra internalized that 'earning her keep' with others means everything.

Lance: Funnily enough, I could talk about Lance's fear of cliders (clown spiders), but I think the real flaw Lance faces is that, for most of the series, he's still a thief. Or, at least, more of a thief than Eugene is now. Lance never has the same aversion to his past that Eugene develops, but he does grow out of it with time.

Varian: He never thinks things through, plain and simple. His inventions are only so amazing until something unexpected happens. And then there's his villain arc, of course. He gets thrown out of the castle because he didn't expect Rapunzel to have to care for the whole kingdom, he steals the Sunflower when its power has been fully absorbed by Rapunzel, then he fails to realize what would happen if Rapunzel's hair couldn't break his father three. And, finally, he sides with the saporians to overthrow the kingdom, and never expects that they'd try to betray him too.

[spicylove4ever]

Why Tangled's Cassandra fall into the dark side makes sense but still doesn't feel right.

Now I was disscussing with a friend about why would Cassandra act the way he did and I was "man, I need a long speech to provide a good analysis on this". Here's the speech.

Also, I must say I'm not justifying Cassandra's actions, this is just an analysis.

First thing: if Cassandra takes something after her mother, is being ambitious and has a need of validation.

But unlike her mother, Cassandra wants to appreciated and validated as what she wants to be, which is a mighty warrior, instead of adored like Gothel wanted.

Her ambition/goal in life is not just being a mighty warrior, she wants to be considerated the best. Now, the reason why she wants to be that type of person is because she admires the figure of the royal guards, and that life-style was with her thanks to her father, and of course she wanted to stand out in that.

The problem is:

Nothing but obstacles and struggle to get what she wanted.

And that lead to nothing but to a constant frustration.

Second point: as lady in waiting of the Princess, she had to endure what at first sight seemed like a brat who had everything on a silver platter.

You might remember how Cassandra didn't like Rapunzel even one bit at first. And that was because they were complete oposites. Rapunzel was a ray of sweet sunshine and everyone loved her, and she had every privilege only a princess could have. Meanwhile, Cassandra struggled a lot to have her voice heard, worked hard but apparently going nowhere on her goal (mostly because her father was too protective of her to let her be a guard). So why Cassandra didn't like Rapunzel at all at first was a part of envy as well.

But they bonded because Rapunzel showed that she was struggling too, by having to learn about a whole new world, with dangers and stuff, and they both wanted more of life, Rapunzel wanted to explore, and not just a cuddled life, and Cassandra could relate to that.

But Cassandra became Rapunzel's guide and protector in life, which was a little fullfiling for her wishes.

So we have a friendship where Cassandra feels good being the big sister, being looked up to by her small sister, but at the same time, she was still struggling to get to be a knight, while Rapunzel still seemed to get everything she wished for easily.

Point 3: seems like no one told Cassandra that being a royal guard has its own small writing, and it's that they are there to serve and protect the royal ones.

What I mean to say about this, is that when Cassandra became Rapunzel's guard on the journey to find out about the rocks, Cassandra wasn't aware that Rapunzel was basically on charge, and that means Cassandra would end up being bossed by what was her younger sister, who she wanted to look after and protect.

A meaningful change of dinamic that made her feel more unheard and unapreciated, and this time by someone she is very close to.

And the thing is, Rapunzel had a heck of emotional journey and had to gain tons of experience and had to take resposabilities to evolve to what she is supposed to be (she is going to be queen someday). That means she no longer needs Cassandra's guidance, and she also developed a bit of Atlas complex, which means she wants to take charge of everything because she feels like she has to take care of everything, which is a little bit of true, but a royal still could make room for the voices of others.

And what did this lead to? A HUGE conflict between best friends. Cassandra also started to feel like Rapunzel was taking things from her by not listen to her advice, and as a guard, her purpose is to fight for her, and Rapunzel always jumped to protect and fight. She was eclipsed by Rapunzel.

And with all that she had in mind, then this came:

Cassandra interpreted that as another time Rapunzel took something from her Zhan Tirir made sure she did.

Point number four: Cassandra has the learned behaviour of keeping all her feelings and frustrations in. Not only because she doesn't feel heard, but because she doesn't want to show vulnerability.

People who keep everything in tend to snap when what they're holding becomes too much, and in Cassandra's case, when that reveal about her mother, that was the last strab.

All this makes no surprise when Cassandra decided to start getting things and turning her back from Rapunzel. It makes total sense she got the Moon Stone as a way to get spot-light and also left with such a big show. Heck, her solo on the song Crossing the Line had a cathartic feeling that was contagious.

Now, there's a flaw on her logic. I take everyone thinks "wait, seriously, Cassandra? Have you forgotten Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel? Are you seriously blaming her for being through such tragedy?" and all of you are right. But Cassandra's point of view is even her mother casted her aside for my so called friend who does nothing but to eclipse me.

But the whole thing here is: Cassandra was barely thinking. In fact, after take a view on how did Cassandra view Rapunzel on the beggining, it's clear she hasn't stop to think about what Rapunzel went through. But truth be told, she had no idea, since I very much doubt Eugene and Rapunzel told people anything beyond "this mad woman kidnapped me to use my power to keep herself beautiful and pretended to be my mother, and this dude here cut my hair to free me from her, which made her age and die" and that short explanation doesn't enlighten much how hard was Rapunzel's life. Probably only Rapunzel's parents knew any details.

In any case, what happened on that betrayal episode was Cassandra snapping at Rapunzel, and the beggining of her fall on the dark.

Until here, everything is pretty tied up. But the rest of her journey she wasn't exactly herself.

This chick here is the reason.

Cassandra basically dropped everything when she left Rapunzel. She in actually had no idea of what to do afterwards, so it was the perfect time for the person who showed that piece of her past and thus becoming a voice of truth, to voice what would she do after leaving her friend.

On the other hand, Zhan Tiri knew all the time that she had to keep Cassandra against Rapunzel, so she had to fuel her anger all the time, making Rapunzel's actions seem way worse and even ill intentioned and/or that Cassandra's new independence is in danger as long as Rapunzel is out there.

But Cassandra is still not thinking here, since Zhan Tiri wants Cassandra to just be a swirl of anger and negative emotion that does and acts the way she wants. So, if Cassandra seemed out of character, was because a good amount of her thinking wasn't hers.

And in case you wonder, yes, it is that easy to manipulate someone who is trapped in anger, when you know how. Step one: do the opposite of telling them to calm down.

And to make things worse:

To ensure that Cassandra would stay against Rapunzel, and knowing her anger can loose its fuel with time (as it happened a little multiple times), she had to make Rapunzel look totally ill intended. Best way to do that was what happened when they discovered Gothel's mirrors.

Rapunzel speaks facts that are in true not much of a surprise since they were explicit.

But that little sneaky thing had a plan:

Before this, Cassandra still knew deep down that she was the one who went too far and betrayed the other and her own frustration wasn't that much of a motive for all her actions, but after this, it looks like she has a justification.

And then things escalate AGAIN. To the point Cassandra decides to go berserker. We all know how it went.

So after all things considerated, why does Cassandra's evil arc still feel weird?

Well.... for one, when Varian is there to compare, with his completable understandable reaction to his trauma and how people failed him on his time of need, you gonna need something comparable to be sympathetic.

Meanwhile, Cassandra, all her motive goes to a simple envy, and how she dismisses all reason and believes to follow what a stranger tells her. The bad part is that she should have thought that she still had a very loving father and if she only had told Rapunzel to freaking let her do her job. I mean, yes, the frustration is bad and all that, but you don't betray your best friend and then leave everything just for that.

OVERALL, MY CONCLUSION IS: yes, her fall to dark makes sense, but it reveals she wasn't that good to begin with if that's all it toke for her to do that. And she won't ever be sympathetic considering how we all saw how she was clearly being played even if it wasn't for us, and consideration that she should know better after all she has seen.

[heartsong1994]

Lance is a good friend/brother on Eugene. And you know they are like a little family, including Cassandra.

I love this scene so much. Lance felt bad about Eugene’s first celebrated birthday party being interrupted that he decided to pull everyone back together (including Varian, who wasn’t there before) to make sure that his special day wasn’t ruined. 

They’re just like a little family. I can just imagine Lance bringing his girls, the animals, and Varian over to visit their uncle and aunt Eugene and Rapunzel for the holidays or throw a surprise party for their anniversary. It’s one of those thoughts that makes me so happy. 

[nerdasaurus1200]

What I love the most about this debate is that Rapunzel and Varian are actually both right. Cause Rapunzel is absolutely correct in assuming Varian hasn’t given people a chance because it’s true. And that ties back to the whole message of the show; giving people a chance to improve and treat you better. A chance to redeem and change. But on the other hand Varian knows full well how much people love the royal family so with all he’s done there’s no way a second chance is just gonna be handed over to him on a silver platter by anyone. And that’s what he’s scared of; that it’ll be too hard to have that second chance or even impossible.

[tangledbea]

I was originally just going to ask just about new dream, but I'm curious as to what love language all the gang has based on their personalities!

Eh, I haven't answered this one in a while (though I have definitely answered it before).

First, I'm going to preface this by saying that I don't think that most people have only one love language. And I don't just mean how they perceive love and how they show love. I mean, in general, most people have more than one.

Rapunzel: Rapunzel spent her entire life with Gothel, who regularly put her down, denied her hugs and comfort, left her all alone (or so she thought) in the Tower, and acted like everything she did for her was a big fucking deal. The only thing Gothel did was bring her things: paint, fabric, seeds to grow flowers, wax for making candles, a guitar...

Therefore, Rapunzel feels loved when people spend time with her. She's extremely touchy-feely and loves hugs and holding Eugene's hand or his arm, giving and receiving kisses, even platonically. When people do things for her, she's over the moon, and she will bend over backwards to do things for those she loves. But she seems the least impressed with receiving gifts, and when she does like it, she attributes it to acts of service more than gift-giving. However, she gives gifts as her first line of trying to get on someone's good side. (Look at how she tried to win over Monty, and how she tried to make Cassandra "feel better" on the Day of Hearts.)

Eugene: Eugene grew up with nothing and (as of the movie) no one. He fashioned himself a persona that didn't need anyone, but he was lying to himself.

Eugene thrives on quality time, which is why he's constantly planning dates for him and Rapunzel. He loves gifts, because he loves being pampered and spoiled. He's actually really big on physical affection, even though he tried to deny that he was. He needs words of affirmation, to be reassured that he's handsome, smart, brave, good. The one he's least keen on is acts of service, because he's so used to taking care of himself (not that he rejects acts of service). However, he gives acts of service so readily. He's self-sacrificial for those he loves.

Lance: Lance grew up in the same situation as Eugene, but took from it a much different mentality.

Lance wants stuff. Gifts are his favorite. But he's also big on acts of service (asking Eugene to help him go rob the Baron retrieve a treasure). He's extremely physically affectionate, quick to throw his arm around the shoulders of those he cares about, or hug and pick up his girls. The fact that Adira doesn't like to be touched is a massive roadblock for him (as well as her just not being interested, lbr). He enjoys doing things with people, but is also fine doing things alone, and he doesn't seem to thrive on words of affirmation. Lance is extremely honest about who he is, and doesn't fall for words of flattery, no matter how sincere.

Varian: As a social outcast, semi-estranged from his dad (at least at the beginning), this kid is all about the words of affirmation. He wants to be told that people are proud of him, that he's doing well in their eyes. He also really enjoys quality time, being together for the sake of being together (his excitement over a road trip with his dad, helping Quirin with the pumpkins and having Quirin help him with his invention in the epilogue). He shows love through acts of service, and asks favors of people (then gets really mad when they don't respect him and screws with his stuff, causing problems - acts of anti-service, if you will). He doesn't seem hugely physically affectionate, and doesn't come across as needing gifts to show love.

Cassandra: Cassandra blatantly isn't impressed with gifts, doesn't really like to be hugged, and isn't fond of being around people. Of everyone in the group, she's the easiest to slim down to one love language, both giving and receiving: acts of service. She defines herself by her service, and gets upset when people won't do things for her in return (take her side in a fight, for example). To a lesser degree, she'll take words of affirmation, if they're done sincerely. (Her believing you mean it is another story.)

However, Cassandra is pretty good at giving love languages that speak to the person she's giving them to. for example, despite not really being into hugs, she hugs Rapunzel when she needs it.

[literalwallgoop]

“Bribe back my trust” okay okay brain juice juicing, that’s an interesting one. Like can someone smarter than me please explain how this funny melodramatic line is simultaneously really deep and tied with Varian’s past. Please this dialogue is literally the pinnacle of what vat7k canon lines should have been, tone wise but also THIS

like it just speaks volumes about varian’s views on trust. He had to prove he was worthy to be trusted again, after all, by not only standing against the saporians but also helping to stop the kingdom from being nuked, and he was willing to risk his life to do that (thank you rapunzel for utilising your godlylocks). And then prove himself to the rest of the kingdom, in episode ten, right? And also every other super important thing he did after that. Because that’s the system that’s in him now. Initially he believed he’d never be forgiven unless everyone forgot, then he realised that wasn’t an option, and before he could fully sink into the never-forgiven-ever-ever void he was given an opportunity to ‘fix the mistakes he’d made’ (pop off ig). So now in place of the old mindset a new one has arisen. Do something heroic->earn back trust. And nothing at all has happened to him to contradict that worldview. So every act of heroism henceforth was serving to solidify his redemption, in his eyes. Or at the very least… to convince the people around him that he’s trustworthy.

so varian has a prove-yourself complex. Fun to have an episode where he’s unable to prove himself (in some way, preferably morally because guilt guilt guilt) to someone, idk, anyone wanna snatch that up?

oh yeah and the bit about betrayal, the bit about not following through with something you said you’d do. Ain’t the first time a princess triggered that response Nuru.

(See this is why I need someone smarter than me to sum it up quicker. The true gem of this comic is Yong’s dialogue. To just mix a formula you’re relatively-not-entirely-but-it’ll-be-fine sure is correct with the first thing you think of, the first thing on hand, or something you have copious amounts of. Yong please make a goddamn chocolate grenade.)

PART 3/???

okay! this will probably be the last update for a bit. not long, but for a bit. at the very very least, until this weekend or monday. (may or may not be getting a nephew very soon i may or may not have to prepare teehee)

ugh i really wanna write varigo but ideas are so hard 😞 if anyone has any suggestions or ideas they’re willing to hand over to lil ole me it would be greatly appreciated! thank you and stay tuned!

[rueitae]

New fandom. Sorry for the Tangled spam.

[wonderfull-star]

Peri’s character analysis

I ABSOLUTELY like the fact that so many people like the concept of Peri as a villain. And I like it too. Why? I adore morally gray characters who sometimes make mistakes. I was always annoyed by super mega good characters with no brain cells. Because of this, many people developed a disgust for good characters as such. It's pleasing that starting in 2018-20, the concept of a "brainless hero and smart villain" was put on the back burner. For example, Varian. This is probably the ONE of all the cases when the creators decided to make an obviously GOOD character not just an antagonist, but a real villain. This makes the character alive and not some kind of sickeningly kind Mary / Marty Sue. It becomes interesting to watch the character, thereby revealing his darker side and all his hidden feelings and experiences. Therefore, for me, Varian is probably the most unique character I have ever seen.

Peri is also quite a unique character. He is more of a "neutral hero" type, who also puts on a mask of a confident guy to seem better in the eyes of others. However, later this character appears in a different beauty, showing himself to be insecure, nervous and under constant stress. And no! I am sure that this is not because of Dev, as many thought. Most likely, Peri has always been like this. Think about it yourself. We do not know a LOT about his life, only him as a baby and a small fragment of his adult life. We do not know what happened with him after having to leave Timmy (and I think this is already the starting point of his first and main trauma). We also do not know what happened in Peri’s teenage life. And I am sure that then in his life there were many turning points that are probably related to his magic and an unusual wand, which may have made him so obsessed with the rules. So at least a BIG part of what we saw Peri as in the new cartoon series is most likely his fake personality that he shows to everyone and maybe even his parents. I'm sure this dude is definitely intentionally holding back his emotions and his real self after all the 20 years he's been through.

Therefore, it is not surprising that many think of idea of Peri as an antagonist. Since he himself as a character is quite two-faced. And definitely such characters as Peri are unstable deep inside and even sometimes become antagonists in the main story (as I mentioned earlier, Varian who was also quite nervous and could not cope with his emotions)

So I think Peri’s potential as an antagonist could be very real.